On the similarity solutions of magnetohydrodynamic flows of power-law fluids over a stretching sheet

A rigorous mathematical analysis is given for a magnetohydrodynamics boundary layer problem, which arises in the two-dimensional steady laminar boundary layer flow for an incompressible electrically conducting power-law fluid along a stretching flat sheet in the presence of an exterior magnetic field orthogonal to the flow. In the self-similar case, the problem is transformed into a third-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation with certain boundary conditions, which is proved to be equivalent to a singular initial value problem for an integro-differential equation of first order. With the aid of the singular initial value problem, the uniqueness and existence results for (generalized) normal solutions are established and some properties of these solutions are explored.     

Capillarity driven spreading of power-law fluids

We investigate the spreading of thin liquid films of power-law rheology. We construct an explicit travelling wave solution and source-type similarity solutions. We show that when the nonlinearity exponent λ for the rheology is larger than one, the governing dimensionless equation h_t + (h^λ+2|h_xxx|^λ−1h_xxx)_x=0 admits solutions with compact support and moving fronts. We also show that the solutions have bounded energy dissipation rate.     

On power-law fluids with the power-law index proportional to the pressure

In this short note we study special unsteady flows of a fluid whose viscosity depends on both the pressure and the shear rate. Here we consider an interesting dependence of the viscosity on the pressure and the shear rate; a power-law of the shear rate wherein the exponent depends on the pressure. The problem is important from the perspective of fluid dynamics in that we obtain solutions to a technologically relevant problem, and also from the point of view of mathematics as the analysis of the problem rests on the theory of spaces with variable exponents. We use the theory to prove the existence of solutions to generalizations of Stokes’ first and second problem.     

Convex solutions of a general similarity boundary layer equation for power-law fluids

This paper is devoted to a general similarity boundary layer equation for power-law fluids, which includes many important similarity boundary layer problems such as the Falker-Skan equation and the magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer equation which arises in the study of self-similar solutions of the two-dimensional steady laminar boundary layer flow for an incompressible electrically conducting power-law fluids along an isolated surface in the presence of an exterior magnetic field orthogonal to the flow. By a rigorous mathematical analysis, the uniqueness, existence and nonexistence results for convex solutions, normal convex solutions and generalized convex solutions to the general similarity boundary layer equation are established. Also the asymptotic behavior of the normal convex solutions at the infinity are displayed.     

Concave solutions of a general self-similar boundary layer problem for power-law fluids

In this paper, we give a rigorous mathematical analysis for a third order nonlinear boundary value problem. The boundary value problem can be applied to steady free convection around a vertical impermeable flat plate in a fluid-saturated porous medium, or steady flow of a power-law fluid induced by impermeable stretching walls in the frame of boundary layer approximation. We establish the uniqueness, existence and nonexistence of (normal) concave solutions or generalized concave solutions to the problem, and obtain some results about boundedness and asymptotic behavior of the (normal) concave solution or the generalized concave solution.     

Boundary layer flow of power-law fluids past arbitrary profiles

Two-dimensional steady-state boundary layer equations of power-lawfluids are derived using a special coordinate system which makesthe equations independent of the body shape immersed in theflow. In deriving the boundary layer equations, the method ofmatched asymptotic expansions is used. It is shown that thesimilarity solutions for power-law fluids are much the sameas those of Newtonian fluids. Similarity solutions correspondingto the case of parallel flow past a flat plate and stagnation-pointflow are presented. Finally, the shear stress is calculatedfor different geometries.     

On a class of special flows

Summary A special flow, in which the basic automorphism is a Bernoulli automorphism and the ceiling function depends only on the present position of the Bernoulli sequence and is not lattice distributed, is a K-flow.This paper represents the result, in a revised form, which was presented at the Symposium on Ergodic Theory held at Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach from August 4 to 10, 1968.     

Some new exact analytical solutions for helical flows of second grade fluids

The helical flow of a second grade fluid, between two infinite coaxial circular cylinders, is studied using Laplace and finite Hankel transforms. The motion of the fluid is due to the inner cylinder that, at time t = 0⁺ begins to rotate around its axis, and to slide along the same axis due to hyperbolic sine or cosine shear stresses. The components of the velocity field and the resulting shear stresses are presented in series form in terms of Bessel functions J₀(•), Y₀(•), J₁(•), Y₁(•), J₂(•) and Y₂(•). The solutions that have been obtained satisfy all imposed initial and boundary conditions and are presented as a sum of large-time and transient solutions. Furthermore, the solutions for Newtonian fluids performing the same motion are also obtained as special cases of general solutions. Finally, the solutions that have been obtained are compared and the influence of pertinent parameters on the fluid motion is discussed. A comparison between second grade and Newtonian fluids is analyzed by graphical illustrations.     

Velocity fields with power-law spectra for modeling turbulent flows

We consider a generalization of homogeneous and isotropic Çinlar velocity fields to capture power-law spectra. The random velocity field is non-Gaussian with a representation motivated by Lagrangian and Eulerian observations. A wide range of turbulent flows can be generated by varying the stochastic parameters of the model. The velocity field being a functional version of Poisson shot-noise is constructed as the superposition of eddies randomized through their types and arrival times. We introduce a dependence between the eddy types which are spatial parameters and the decay parameter which is temporal. As a result, long-range correlation in space and a power-law spectrum previously used with Ornstein–Uhlenbeck velocity fields are achieved. We show that a corresponding power-law form for the probability distribution of the eddy diameter is sufficient for this result. The parameters of the probability distribution are further specified in view of Kolmogorov theory of the inertial scales. In particular, ∣k∣^−5/3 scaling of the spectrum is obtained. In the diffusive limit, we show that the parameters governing the decay and the arrival rate, and the speed of rotation of an eddy increase while its diameter decreases. That is, the eddies arrive fast, decay fast, and rotate fast with a small radius for a Brownian limit.     

Parallel shear flows of fluids with a temperature dependent viscosity

We investigate whether parallel shear flows of an incompressible Newtonian fluid with a viscosity which depends linearly on temperature is possible in situations where the temperature changes along the flow direction. It is shown that parallel flow is possible only in planar or axisymmetric geometries. These two situations are investigated further. For either a plane channel or a circular pipe, we show that the temperature variation in the flow direction must be exponential.     

Parallel shear flows of fluids with a temperature dependent viscosity

We investigate whether parallel shear flows of an incompressible Newtonian fluid with a viscosity which depends linearly on temperature is possible in situations where the temperature changes along the flow direction. It is shown that parallel flow is possible only in planar or axisymmetric geometries. These two situations are investigated further. For either a plane channel or a circular pipe, we show that the temperature variation in the flow direction must be exponential.Received: December 16, 2003; revised: October 11, 2004     

Theory of nonstationary flows of Kelvin-Voigt fluids

One proves the global unique solvability in class \(W_\infty ^1 (0,T;C^{2,d} (\bar \Omega ) \cap H(\Omega ))\) of the initial-boundary-value problem for the quasilinear system $$\frac{{\partial \vec \upsilon }}{{\partial t}} + \upsilon _k \frac{{\partial \vec \upsilon }}{{\partial x_k }} - \mu _1 \frac{{\partial \Delta \vec \upsilon }}{{\partial t}} - \int\limits_0^t {K(t - \tau )\Delta \vec \upsilon (\tau )d\tau + grad p = \vec f,di\upsilon \bar \upsilon = 0,\upsilon , > 0.}$$ This system described the nonstationary flows of the elastic-viscous Kelvin-Voigt fluids with defining relation $$\left( {1 + \sum\limits_{\ell = 1}^L {\lambda _\ell } \frac{{\partial ^\ell }}{{\partial t^\ell }}} \right)\sigma = 2\left( {v + \sum\limits_{m = 1}^{L + 1} {\user2{\ae }_m } \frac{{\partial ^m }}{{\partial t^m }}} \right)D,L = 0,1,2,...;\lambda _L ,\user2{\ae }_{L + 1} > 0.$$      

Distributed control for a class of non-Newtonian fluids

We consider control problems with a general cost functional where the state equations are the stationary, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with shear-dependent viscosity. The equations are quasi-linear. The control function is given as the inhomogeneity of the momentum equation. In this paper, we study a general class of viscosity functions which correspond to shear-thinning or shear-thickening behavior. The basic results concerning existence, uniqueness, boundedness, and regularity of the solutions of the state equations are reviewed. The main topic of the paper is the proof of Gâteaux differentiability, which extends known results. It is shown that the derivative is the unique solution to a linearized equation. Moreover, necessary first-order optimality conditions are stated, and the existence of a solution of a class of control problems is shown.     

Uniaxial exchange flows of two Bingham fluids in a cylindrical duct

Buoyancy driven flows of two Bingham fluids in an inclined ductare considered, providing a simplified model for many oilfieldcementing processes. The flows studied are near-uniaxial andstratified, with the heavy fluid moving down the incline, displacingthe lighter fluid upwards. Existence and uniqueness resultsare obtained for quite general flows and for those which satisfyan axial flow rate constraint. Parametric dependence of thesolutions on the axial pressure gradient is studied. Flows whichsatisfy a zero net axial flow constraint result from an axialpressure gradient which minimizes the viscous dissipation, butnot the plastic dissipation. A regularization method is usedto compute solutions to these problems for (more or less) arbitraryfluid-fluid interfaces and duct-cross sections. Examples relatedto a number of practical applications are presented.     

Exact self-similar solutions of the magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer system for power-law fluids

In a particular self-similar case, the magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer system for an electrically conducting power-law fluid together with certain boundary conditions can be transformed into a boundary value problem for a third-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation, only whose (generalized) normal solutions possess the physical meaning of the original problem. Uniqueness, existence and nonexistence results are established for the problem. Representations are also given for all (generalized) normal solutions. The project was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China (No. Z0511005) and NNSF of china(No. 10501037).     

Instability of power-law fluid flows down an incline subjected to wind stress

In this paper we investigate the effect of a prescribed superficial shear stress on the generation and structure of roll waves developing from infinitesimal disturbances on the surface of a power-law fluid layer flowing down an incline. The unsteady equations of motion are depth integrated according to the von Kármán momentum integral method to obtain a non-homogeneous system of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws governing the average flow rate and the thickness of the fluid layer. By conducting a linear stability analysis we obtain an analytical formula for the critical conditions for the onset of instability of a uniform and steady flow in terms of the prescribed surface shear stress. A nonlinear analysis is performed by numerically calculating the nonlinear evolution of a perturbed flow. The calculation is carried out using a high-resolution finite volume scheme. The source term is handled by implementing the quasi-steady wave propagation algorithm. Conclusions are drawn regarding the effect of the applied surface shear stress parameter and flow conditions on the development and characteristics of the roll waves arising from the instability. For a Newtonian flow subjected to a prescribed superficial shear stress, using an analytical theory, we show that the nonlinear governing equations do not admit roll waves solutions under conditions when the uniform and steady flow is linearly stable. For the case of a general power-law fluid flow with zero shear stress applied at the surface, the analytical investigation leads to a procedure for calculating the characteristics of a roll waves flow. These results are compared with those yielded by the numerical procedure.     

On some axial Couette flows of non-Newtonian fluids

The velocity fields corresponding to some flows of second grade and Maxwell fluids, induced by a circular cylinder subject to a constantly accelerating translation along its symmetry axis, are presented as Fourier-Bessel series in terms of the eigenfunctions of some suitable boundary value problems. These solutions satisfy both the associate partial differential equations and all imposed initial and boundary conditions. For α or λ → 0, they are going to those for a Newtonian fluid. Finally, for comparison, some diagrams corresponding to the solutions for the flow through a circular cylinder are presented for different values of t and of the material constants. Received: March 18, 2004; revised: October 28, 2004     

Analytical solutions to Stokes-type flows of inhomogeneous fluids

In this paper, we study the unsteady motion of an inhomogeneous incompressible viscous fluid, where the viscosity varies spatially according to various models. We study the Stokes-type flow for these types of fluids where in the first case the flow between two parallel plates is examined with one of the plates oscillating and in the second case when the flow is caused by a pulsatile pressure gradient. A general argument establishes the existence of oscillatory solutions to our problem. Exact solutions are obtained in terms of some special functions and comparisons are made with the cases of constant viscosity and the slow flow regimes.